


to bear the sorrow

by WattStalf



Series: my synthetic valentine [8]
Category: Fallout (Video Games)
Genre: Angst galore, F/M, M/M, but a happy ending, ss gender not specified
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 08:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5409995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WattStalf/pseuds/WattStalf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick wonders where you always disappear to, and decides one day to follow you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	to bear the sorrow

**Author's Note:**

> I took Nick to Vault 111 yesterday and it broke my heart when he got all sympathetic, so then I wrote this so we could all feel sad.  
> 

You had a habit of disappearing from Sanctuary Hills without telling anyone where you were going. You would just ask whoever had been traveling with you if they minded letting you travel with someone else for a while, and then you wouldn't go find anyone else. Instead, you would make sure you were alone before walking off in a very familiar direction, returning various amounts of time later.

Eventually, you began to travel with Nick Valentine more than anyone else, and the two of you were close. It was pretty obvious that a relationship was growing between you, that your feelings were not strictly platonic, but neither of you had really said anything about that yet. You weren't exactly sure where you stood with Nick, but you knew that you cared for him and he cared for you, and that was all that mattered for now. Someday you could work out the messy details.

But you did not even trust Nick with where you went yet, and you never told him what you were doing, always feeding him the same lies you fed everyone else. You would claim that Preston had a task for you, or that Piper wanted to run an idea by you, and then you would leave Nick for a bit, returning to him soon after, with a lie about the encounters you had never had.

However, Nick wasn't stupid. In fact, reading people and catching on to lies were some of his specialties, and it didn't take long for him to figure out that something was going on. He could tell that you were lying, and had even followed up with whoever you had said you were talking to a few times. Not to mention the fact that whenever you returned, there was something off about your behavior, something sad and distant, yet somehow at ease.

He didn't know what was wrong with you, but he wasn't going to stand by and ignore whatever it was, and that was when he decided that he would follow you. That was something he was very good at, following people in secret. It came with the job and, though he felt guilty investigating you, he knew you would never tell him on your own, and he was very worried about you.

So one day, when you told him you needed to have a discussion with Curie about something, he nodded and said he would see you later. Then he waited for a moment before following you at a distance, watching as you did not go find Curie and instead left the settlement. He kept his steps quiet and hung back as much as possible, trying to keep himself hidden when he could.

Luckily for him, you seemed distracted about something, and didn't turn around even once. That was a carelessness you never would have afforded yourself under normal circumstances, and his worry grew. Whatever it was you did out here must be pretty serious, to distract you that much.

After a little bit more walking, you came to a stop in front of an area that could only be the entrance to a vault. Nick still didn't understand what this meant, and watched as you activated an elevator and went below ground. He waited a long time, already aware that the noise of the elevator might alert you to his presence, before calling it back up and going below ground after you.

There were arrows on the ground and he followed them, not sure how else to navigate the vault and not sure where you might be hiding. Soon enough, however, he came upon you, and you still did not seem to notice him. You were just standing there, quietly staring at something, and as he came closer, he saw it was a pod of some sort, amongst others, open, with an unmoving person inside.

“Now, that's not...” he started, so surprised that he forgot he was supposed to be undercover. You jolted, looking up at him with tears in your eyes, and it was very clear what you were down here for. “Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry.”

“What are you-” You stared at Nick in disbelief.

“I was worried about you,” he said, the excuse now seeming flimsy. He felt absolutely terrible. “I just wanted to make sure you were keeping safe out here, I didn't know...if you want me to leave...”

“No,” you said, wiping your eyes and closing the distance between the two of you, “no, you can stay. And...I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I wasn't honest about what I was doing, I just...didn't know how to tell you. I never wanted anyone to know I was here because I didn't want someone to tell me I needed to stop hanging on.”

“I would never,” he said quickly, pulling you into a tight embrace. “I know you're still hurting, and you can take all the time you need to heal. But you don't have to do that alone.”

“I love you,” you confessed, the first time either of you had said the obvious out loud. “I love you, but...I still...I still love...” You sniffled.

“Shh, it's okay,” he said. “It's okay if you do. That just shows how much you care about both of us, and I don't think any less of you for it. In fact, it...honestly makes me love you even more.”

“Thank you, Nick,” you said, your voice muffled as you pressed your face against his chest. He held you there for a few moments as you cried, patting your back until you had recovered. When you felt a little bit better, you pulled away and said, “I think I'm ready to go back up. Can you give me a minute to...say goodbye?”

“Take all the time you need,” he replied, and went to wait for you at the elevator. When you caught up to him, you had the familiar, peacefully sad expression on your face, and he silently held your hand as you road the elevator back to the surface.

The two of you walked hand in hand back to Sanctuary Hills, Nick relieved to know that you were going to be okay, and you happy to finally have someone to truly share your grief with.


End file.
